Dilruwan Perera’s six-wicket haul on the third morning helped Sri Lanka seal a historic 229-run win over Australia in the second Test at the Galle International Stadium on Saturday (August 6). Dilruwan ended with figures of 6 for 70 and a match-haul of 10 for 99, as Australia was bowled out for 183 in its second innings, chasing a big target of 413.

Dilruwan also became the first Sri Lanka cricketer to hit a half-century and bag 10 wickets in the same Test.

The win, coming on the heels of a 106-run win in the second Test, gave Sri Lanka a 2-0 lead in the three-match series and its first series win over Australia in 17 years, with the previous one having come in 1999 – a series in which Rangana Herath made his debut. It also marked Australia’s eighth consecutive loss in a Test in Asia.

Australia resumed the day on a precarious 25 for 3, but David Warner and Steven Smith, the overnight batsmen, offered some resistance early in the day with a 51-run stand for the fourth wicket. However, both soon fell to Dilruwan’s guile, and after the two most experienced batsmen in the line-up had gone, wickets fell regularly. Victory for Sri Lanka was sealed shortly after lunch.

Warner, who tried to counterattack during his 31-ball 41, was trapped in front by a straighter delivery that struck him on the front pad. Smith (30), who used his feet well against the spinners during his 58-ball stay, soon followed, giving a catch to backward short leg.

Dilruwan, who also took two wickets on Friday, then had Adam Voges bowled for 28 to register his fourth five-wicket haul in 11 Tests. Mitchell Starc and Peter Nevill battled to take the visiting side in to lunch at 133 for 7, but it only delayed the inevitable.

Starc was cleaned up by a slower delivery from Rangana Herath two overs after resumption, and Josh Hazlewood’s leading edge off the pad ended up back with Dilruwan for his sixth wicket. The final wicket – that of Nevill (24) – was down to excellent work in the field by Kusal Mendis at short leg, reacting quickly to induce a run out.

Sri Lanka celebrated animatedly before heading into a group huddle, having sealed a significant win.

The victory was set up by Herath on Friday. The veteran left-arm spinner’s maiden Test hat-trick helped dismiss Australia for a record low of 106 in its first innings, before Dilruwan’s half-century and Angelo Mathews’s fine 47 helped post a target beyond Australia’s reach.

Herath and Dilruwan shared four wickets between them on an action-packed second day, in which a total of 21 wickets fell.

Sri Lanka will now look to continue its winning run in the final Test at Colombo, beginning on August 13